February 17, 2012 / Front Page

BRUNSWICK — Maine game wardens, a tracking dog and Brunswick police searched 60 acres of woods off Federal Street throughout the day Thursday, but found no sign of a Brunswick man missing for more than a month. Jason Reil, 33, was last seen Jan. More...

GEORGETOWN — Amid local complaints that State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin inappropriately enrolled 10 acres of his Georgetown property in a state Tree Growth program to receive a lower tax rate, town officials say singling the state official out would b More...

BRUNSWICK — If food and fuel assistance fundraisers scheduled for Saturday in Freeport and Brunswick raise more than $10,000, Downeast Energy will match a donation of up to $5,000 in heating oil. More...

BRUNSWICK — The Bowdoin College men’s and women’s basketball teams are in New England Small College Athletic Conference quarterfinal action on Saturday, with both teams taking on Wesleyan University. More...

To the editor: There is no question that times are tough in Maine and around the country. Local business and local jobs are suffering because of a legislative loophole that has gone unnoticed for far too long. The issue is e-fairness. More...

To the editor: Why has the state of Maine decided to cut case management services for children and adults with disabilities? Case managers help thousands of Mainers, and many people do not realize how big a part of our lives they are. More...

PORTLAND — Relishing a challenge, the new chancellor of the University of Maine System said Thursday that it’ll be a privilege to lead through difficult times of dwindling resources and declining numbers of high school students. More...

HERMON ( AP) — Maine State Police say one of the two men shot after allegedly trying to force their way into an apartment in central Maine has died. Police say 30- year- old Robert Dellairo and 19-yearold Philip McIntyre drove themselves More...

CORNISH ( AP) — A 26- year-old Maine man has died after his car veered off the road and crashed into a large rock in the York County town of Cornish. The York Sheriff ’s Office says Brenden Lowenberg was killed at about 2:30 p.m. More...

PHIPPSBURG — Maine’s State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin was not present Thursday evening when the Phippsburg Board of Appeals upheld a December decision by two town boards that allows him to expand his private beach club. More...

BOWDOIN — The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Department arrested a Topsham man for operating under the influence of drugs after he crashed his vehicle into a shed Friday morning on Lewis Hill Road in Bowdoin. More...

WISCASSET — The public comment period for a draft long-range plan in Regional School Unit 12 will be open through Feb. 26. The draft plan, available online at http://ow.ly/8Qa7d, sets out the school district’s goals for the next five years. More...

When the grassroots citizens’ group Trainriders/ Northeast formed with the idea of once again providing the state with passenger rail service, Maine was one of only three states that did not have Amtrak. More...

At the last Brunswick Town Council meeting, residents spoke against neighbors trying to mitigate the negative impact of a proposed Amtrak layover facility in the Brunswick West neighborhood. Everyone would like to be done with this issue. More...

Cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, are our nation’s No. 1 killer. One in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke, equal to 2,200 deaths per day. In an effort to raise awareness about this health problem, since 1963 the U.S. More...

WASHINGTON — Religious leaders told a House panel Thursday the Obama administration was violating basic rights to religious freedom with its policies for requiring that employees of religion-affiliated institutions have access to birth control covera More...

FREEPORT — South Freeport Church will offer a haddock chowder luncheon on Feb. 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The luncheon is buffet style and includes creamy haddock chowder, coleslaw, corn muffins, cake and a beverage. More...

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs is expanding its efforts to prevent suicide through several new initiatives that increase the availability of services for veterans, service members and their families. More...

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s president resigned today in a scandal over favors he allegedly received before becoming head of state, creating a major domestic distraction for Chancellor Angela Merkel as she grapples with Europe’s debt cri More...

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — As workers cleaned up the rubble of the century’s deadliest prison fire, a collective rage built among relatives who gathered at the morgue and said the official explanation of a mattress fire was absurd.&nbsp More...